Happy Daduary! The new Festivus for the rest of us. What’s Daduary, you ask? It’s a made-up holiday my family invented because we always struggle with the long-stretch after Christmas until we reach Memorial Day.
This year, we each decided to create a holiday (why not, Hallmark does it?) of our preference where everyone has to do all the things we like. Daduary, as you might have guessed, is all about Dad.
- Daduary (noun, /dad-you-airy/) – Occurring the first weekend in February. Traditions including spending time as a family in nature, grilling out, and enjoying a bonfire. Oh, and of course, watching the Super Bowl!
Road Trippin
We decided to spend Daduary at a quaint little cabin in the woods of Ohio.
You may have noticed the title of this blog—our Perfectly Imperfect family trip. I was talking with a dear friend recently, and she and I agreed that so many of us tend to use social media to show the world the 10% of our family adventures where everyone is smiling, and the kids are cooperating by posing for the pic. When in reality, the stress of everyday life follows you where ever you go.
Since that conversation, I’ve thought a lot about the dangers of not showing the wizard behind the curtain. My life isn’t perfect, so my weekend recap won’t portray the Land of Oz— it will give you a sneak peek into life with two kids, a dog, and a couple who has been quarantined together for almost an entire year.
Now that I set your expectations for a transparent travel blog, it may come as a surprise that I’m starting with how Samson, our four-and-a-half-month-old miniature Australian shepherd, was amazingly well-behaved on the three-hour drive. We made him a little doggy lair in the middle of the mid-row captain’s chairs, and he just chilled.
We arrived at our pet-friendly Air BNB (I highly recommend this cabin!) near Hocking Hills, OH, on a Friday evening. The cabin looks like it’s constructed from Lincoln Logs, is located on a horse farm, but the best part was the giant hot tub with a woods view. Samson was right at home in the woods, we hopped in the hot tub, and hubby kicked off Daduary celebrations by firing up the grill. I’d have to say day one was pretty perfect.
Okay, so when does sh*t get real?
Ice, Ice Baby: Meltdowns with a Side of Sass
The Day 2 plan consisted of the activities this area is known for, hiking in the breathtaking parks.
Maybe it’s our fault that our kids haven’t spent enough time in the frigid outdoors in Northeast Ohio, but the concept of dressing in layers was appalling to them. When my kids start to resist reasonable requests–for their health and safety might I add—I usually take one of two approaches.
1) Play the Authority Card – this is the I’m the grown-up here tactic. The sub-text of which is “listen up, because I know what’s best for you!”
Right or wrong, I usually start with this approach, even though my kids are pretty damn stubborn. I don’t know if I should be mad or proud that they don’t just blindly do what someone tells them to do. They used every argument in the books, but in the end, they had their snow pants on, but and I quote I was told, “mommy is a meanie.”
Authority Card for the win, right? Nope. Next came, “Hey, did you guys use the bathroom before you geared up?” The answer is nope. I’m shaking my head on that one. My daughter is the only one that needed to de-robe and used the potty. But she refused to put the snow pants back on.
Thoroughly exhausted from arguing, I’m now on my second tactic.
2) Learn the Hard Way – this is the “you, do you” approach and see if they figure it out themselves. Maybe I’ll be wrong. Perhaps the cold won’t be as unbearable as I remember growing up in snow country. Will I admit I’m wrong in that case? I likely would. But, in this case, I didn’t have to worry about that.
Dead Man’s Cave
If you’ve been to Hocking Hills, you know the cave’s actual name is Old Man’s Cave, but I mistakenly referred to it as the Dead Man’s Cave, and the kids wouldn’t let me live it down. It turns out I may not have been that wrong after all.
We lucked out with a rare but beautiful blue sky and sunshine on a chilly winter day. After the morning meltdowns, we were all ready for some fresh air. Nothing was indicating a life or death experience was about to unfold.
Our first red flag should have been the ice-covered sidewalk leading from the parking lot to the hiking trail. But, we trekked on. We passed other families, and some had also brought their dogs. Indeed this indicated safety. If dogs and babies can hike the hills on the ice, so can we, right?!
Okay, maybe I am exaggerating when I say life and death, but my daughter would beg to differ. Her tie-dye leggings were no match for the ice-covered stairwell into the Devil’s Bathtub that required a full-on butt slide to reach the bottom.
In her snowpantsless stubbornness, she quickly learned the hard way that: more gear > fashion.
The scenery was stunning, and no matter what, I still say it was worth it for the pics, but it just got scarier from there. We were walking scooting across sheets of ice with dagger-shaped icicles on our right and a cliff plunging into a ravine on our left. At one point, Gianna and I wiggled our way into a semi-dry spot, sat down, and let all the other tourists go by us.
At this point, we had to make a judgment call—keep going to the cave or turn back. We opted to turn around. Our kids’ fear, lack of proper outdoor gear, and the elements were no match for us.
Leaning into Imperfection
We never did make it to Old Man’s Cave—which was kind of the purpose of the location for our Daduary weekend getaway.
Instead, we went back to the cabin, started a bonfire, and created makeshift snowboards out of an old cardboard box. The kids took turns wiping out down the hill (this time, Gianna wore her snow pants).
Boxboarding, our family’s made up extreme sport, was just the right amount of fear and adventure for them.
Watching them create this magical experience reminded me that fun doesn’t need an itinerary. It reinforced that no amount of planning can factor in all of the unknowns. All and all, I’d say the first annual Daduary was a success!
Spoiler alert! Future blogs will outline the rest of the family’s holidays: Yay Day!, Springivmas, and Famstastic 5th. We look forward to those, Focker.
Until then, I am sending you all my peace, love, and snow pants.
If you like what you’re reading, be sure to sign up to receive thismama.blog in your inbox!
this [mama]. 
very entertaining
LikeLike